Health and safety responsibilities don’t stop at the boardroom. While the Managing Director or Chief Executive holds the ultimate accountability, the day-to-day responsibility for ensuring a safe working environment often falls squarely on the shoulders of line managers and supervisors.
This isn’t just good practice—it’s the law. Under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, individuals in supervisory positions can be held personally liable for health and safety breaches—particularly under Section 36. This section outlines that if one person instructs another to carry out a task that leads to injury or ill health, the person giving the instruction may be guilty of an offence. This becomes especially significant in environments where permit-to-work systems are used. If a line manager or supervisor issues an inaccurate or unsafe permit, and a contractor or employee is subsequently injured as a result, the person who issued the permit can be held personally responsible. This isn’t just theory—it has led to real prosecutions. Likewise, any employee found guilty of criminal neglect—such as encouraging unsafe practices or failing to intervene in unsafe conditions—can face personal consequences if their actions lead to harm. While fines for individual employees may not reach the same magnitude as those levied against corporate bodies, they are still serious. The courts have the power to recover fines through several mechanisms:- Deduction from wages
- Seizure of personal property, including homes or vehicles
- Charging orders placed against assets
- In more severe or unresolved cases, imprisonment